A definitive ranking of the 2015 NBA All-Stars by first-pitch ability

It's been more than 21 years since Michael Jordan officially signed a contract to play baseball for the White Sox organization. MJ's slow progression and baseball's work stoppage prompted an early end to the 1994 experiment and we've been short on baseball-to-basketball crossovers (see what we did there?) ever since.

Mark Hendrickson was drafted by the Blue Jays in 1997, but he opted to pursue a career in basketball with the Sixers, who drafted him in the second round of the NBA draft. After his basketball career fizzled out, he turned to baseball and enjoyed a 10-year MLB career with the Blue Jays, Rays, Dodgers, Marlins and Orioles. Tracy McGrady gave baseball a shot last year, but he hung up the spikes after a very brief career with an independent team. 

Luckily, we have a barrage of errant tosses, one-hoppers and even the occasional strike to fill the intersection of a baseball and basketball Venn diagram: the many first pitch attempts by 2015 NBA All-Stars.

8. John Wall - The North Carolina native was drafted by the Wizards after one impressive year with the University of Kentucky. When he threw out a first pitch for the Nationals, Wall demonstrated exactly how much he'd honed his bounce passing skills.

7. James Harden - Now a three-time All-Star, Harden joined the Houston Rockets for the start of the 2012-13 season. Last year he came out for an Astros game and ... well, at least he didn't bounce it.

6. Kyrie Irving - The Cavs' All-Star wasn't messing around when he showed up to a Tribe game at Progressive Field last season. He rocked the full uni and held his own during BP before throwing a near-strike for his ceremonial first pitch.

5. Pau Gasol - In 2009, Gasol was fresh off the first of back-to-back NBA Championships with the Lakers when he threw out a first pitch for the Dodgers. The fact that it was the first Major League game he'd ever attended makes it that much more impressive.

4. LeBron James - Before he took his talents to South Beach, the Ohio native put on a show at Progressive Field with this extravagant first pitch for the Indians.

3. Anthony Davis - Shortly after leading the Kentucky Wildcats to an NCAA National Championship, current New Orleans Pelican All-Star Anthony Davis threw a first pitch strike for Kentucky's baseball team.

2. Chris Paul - Back in 2013, CP3 showed why Lob City is an apt nickname for the Clippers when he tossed a soft strike to then-Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.

1. Blake Griffin - Like most of his dunks, Griffin's first pitch offering was a little more, um, emphatic than most. The Clippers forward used a full windup to deliver a strike that some might even describe as "cheese."

BONUS: Kobe Bryant - For his part, Kobe opted to put his skills on display at the dish, homering in Richard Sherman's charity softball game.

Kobe Hits Home Run 2014 from Snoop Dog on Vimeo.

Like many power hitters, though, Kobe's baserunning left a lot to be desired.

Russell Wilson gets Kobe Bryant on a hidden ball trick in Sherman's celebrity softball game

- Anthony Nipert (@AnthonyNipert) July 20, 2014